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Jefferson County Public Schools: 15,000 Staff Connected Overnight

When COVID-19 closed 167 schools and 256 sites overnight, Jefferson County Public Schools needed a way to keep thousands of teachers and staff connected — without replacing their existing Mitel system. CTPros delivered a hybrid RingCentral solution in days.

The Challenge

When COVID-19 forced Jefferson County Public Schools to close every building overnight, their on-premise Mitel PBX couldn't support a remote workforce at scale — leaving thousands of teachers and administrators without access to their work phone numbers.

The Solution

CTPros designed and deployed a hybrid solution integrating RingCentral Cloud Office with the existing Mitel MiVoice Connect system — enabling 7,000+ users to work from any device without replacing the district's existing infrastructure.

About Jefferson County Public Schools

Jefferson County Public Schools is one of the largest public school systems in the United States, serving Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding region. The district operates 167 schools across 256 total sites, employing over 15,000 principals, administrators, and staff alongside approximately 7,000 teachers serving more than 100,000 students. As one of the largest employers in Kentucky, JCPS requires communications infrastructure that can operate reliably at a scale most organizations never have to consider.

A Pandemic Closes 256 Sites — and the PBX Can't Follow

When COVID-19 forced JCPS to close its schools and district offices, the challenge for IT leadership was immediate and enormous. The district's Mitel MiVoice Connect on-premise PBX system — reliable in normal operations — wasn't designed to support a remote workforce at the scale JCPS required. Teachers couldn't take their classroom extensions home. Administrators couldn't receive calls at district offices. And the district was bracing for a massive surge in inbound calls from parents and community members who needed answers.

Expanding the existing Mitel hardware environment wasn't viable. Migrating to Mitel MiCloud Connect would take too long. Microsoft Teams and Google Voice were evaluated but couldn't meet the district's requirements. The solution had to work immediately, integrate with the existing Mitel system so internal dialing remained intact, protect staff privacy, and scale to over 7,000 users across 256 sites.

JCPS reached out to CTPros — their Mitel Platinum Support partner — to find a path forward.

The Best of Both Worlds — A Hybrid That Kept Everything Working

CTPros designed a hybrid architecture that layered RingCentral Cloud Office on top of the existing Mitel MiVoice Connect system — giving JCPS the cloud flexibility it needed without replacing the on-premise infrastructure the district depended on for day-to-day school operations.

The integration was accomplished using an InGate Siperator Session Border Controller to create a secure SIP trunk connection between the two platforms. This meant district staff could use RingCentral from any device and any location while still reaching Mitel extensions in classrooms and school offices — preserving the district's existing 7-digit internal dial plan across 7,000+ RingCentral accounts. Classrooms that had always been reached through an automated attendant remained reachable through the same process. Bus compounds with 13 routes that needed constant communication with schools and central office stayed connected.

For teachers and staff, RingCentral delivered a work phone number accessible from any device — iOS, Android, Chrome, or Windows — without exposing personal phone numbers. Video capabilities enabled virtual classes and parent-teacher meetings. SMS texting gave staff another channel for parent communication. And when the district's county received a Humana grant to support emergency community outreach during the pandemic, CTPros deployed the necessary RingCentral framework for the social services help desk in six hours.

CTPros' Technical Account Managers handled custom training documentation and virtual training sessions tailored to specific roles across the organization — reaching over 7,000 users throughout the district.

7,000 Users. 256 Sites. Connected in Days.

The hybrid deployment gave JCPS everything it needed without the cost or timeline of a full system replacement. Teachers kept their classroom Mitel phones for in-school use while gaining RingCentral app access from home. The district's internal dial plan stayed intact — staff could still reach each other on the same extensions they'd always used. And parents calling the district reached someone, rather than unanswered phones in empty buildings.

The scale of what CTPros enabled is significant. Over 7,000 RingCentral users were provisioned and trained across 256 sites. Custom training materials were created for each role. A community outreach contact center was stood up in six hours when an emergency grant required it. And the district came through the pandemic better connected than it had been before.

Looking ahead, JCPS was already evaluating RingCentral Contact Center to support IT help desk operations and future emergency community outreach needs — a natural next step from a UCaaS deployment that proved what cloud communications can do at public sector scale.

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